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Let me begin by saying that The Purge's box office success reveals far more of the bloodthirsty anarchism that lies barely dormant in today's society than establishing it's viability as a well-crafted film. Now this assessment might seem a bit harsh to some, especially if this film was well-received by you but let me state my case and you be the judge.
The film's premise is more than sound; in fact, it denotes a tertiary alternative that stands equally apart, and between, dystopian and utopian societies. Yet the seed of promise is bereft of all it needs to find fruition.
Now, it could be said that one must suspend belief, to a certain extent, when watching a film to fully enjoy it but the counterpoint to that is that the tale should be woven with enough skill and magic that it isn't even a conscious decision on our part. Indeed, we should believe yet I found that I simply could not.
I just did not buy what they were selling; I'm not even sure that the actors believed.
That the government, to entice the public to walk the straight and narrow the other 364 days of each year in exchange for one night of unbridled chaos with complete immunity from prosecution, is...interesting. In fact, it's a concept I wouldn't be at all surprised to find in a sci-fi novel but, as far as the screen, I think it would have been more promising as an episode of The Twilight Zone than a feature film.
For all Ethan Hawke's popularity, I've never found him appealing or impressive, especially as a leading man, but I found this to be the most stilted performance of his career. Lena Headey, on the other hand, I have always enjoyed whether it was in The Cave, 300, The Sarah Connor Chronicles or Game of Thrones. Yet here I just had the feeling that she wanted it to be over. As a wealthy couple who hold themselves above the 'lesser fortunate', particularly on the night of 'The Purge', then descend alternately into murderous intent and then turnabout to express heroism the two just phone it in.
The kids, both within and without the fortress-of-a-home, are equally ludicrous in behavior. Most of all the son who actually opens their home to the man fleeing certain death at the hands of a young mob who watched far too many screenings of A Clockwork Orange while silver spoons dangled from their mouths.
In fact, the only believable person in the entire cast is the man who seeks refuge with them and he, surprisingly, only plays a minor role in the whole affair.
Yet it seems that the premise of the film (if not the poor script and watered-down performances) appealed to more than a few of our fellow humans, hence the big payday for the studio. So even if the self-indulgent, bloodlusting spectatorship of Ancient Greece is dead and gone, it seems that the rather dark appeal of wanton violence and murder is far from slumbering but simmering to a threatening boil in today's culture.
Not only is disco dead but it seems remorse is as well.
Harsh criticism? Heavy-handed? Perhaps. Fitting in my opinion though.
